Even if the glimpse into what goes on in biotechnology laboratories doesn’t entice his high school students to embark on a career in science, Tenterfield High School’s science head teacher Brian Edmonds would be happy for an increased appreciation of how science can benefit their lives.
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As part of the Amgen Biotech Experience, Mr Edmonds is putting older students through the complete workbook over the two-week course of the project, with year 7 students getting an introduction to lab practices.
The workbook is a step-by-step guide for exploring what goes on in a biopharmaceutical lab, starting with lab practices and becoming familiar with lab equipment. It progresses onto modelling the products of a biopharmaceutical lab like Amgen, such as creating insulin for diabetics.
Part of the experience are some intriguing processes including making certain bacteria glow red.
“I’m a firm believer that distance from capital cities shouldn’t impact a student’s opportunities,” he said.
“For those who do go on to uni to study science, this is a massive head start.”